The investigating judge at the Audiencia Nacional, José Luis Calama, on 4 September 2026 the application by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for the investigation to be declared void in its entirety in the so-called Plus Ultra case. The ruling found no violations of fundamental or procedural rights that would justify overturning all the measures taken so far. It therefore confirms that the investigation will continue in its current form.
In his reasoning, Calama addresses several points raised by the defence, including the reopening of investigations in Madrid, the separation of certain strands of the case and its subsequent transfer to the Audiencia Nacional. These steps, he says, do not establish any constitutionally significant disadvantage to the former prime minister. Some aspects of the investigation relied on information obtained through international legal assistance; this, too, does not render the evidence gathered inadmissible. A blanket declaration of nullity, as requested by the defence as a nulidad general is therefore out of the question.
Zapatero filed his application on 25 June 2026. It referred, among other things, to investigations by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office in 2025 and the gathering of documents which, in his view, had infringed his defence rights. At the end of July 2026, Calama said he would examine some of the complaints in detail. The decision now issued rules out, however, setting aside the proceedings in their entirety. Individual objections may still be raised through the appropriate procedural steps, according to the current position.
The case concerns the state bailout of the airline Plus Ultra in 2021 through the special coronavirus fund for strategic companies, which is administered by the state industrial holding company SEPI . The case involves possible improper influence in connection with the decision on financial aid. Other people from the company and government spheres are also named in the case files alongside Zapatero. Interviews and further investigative measures are scheduled for the first days of September.
By rejecting the application, the Audiencia Nacional has reaffirmed the course of the proceedings to date. The prosecuting authorities consider the substantive basis for the investigation sufficiently well founded. The door remains open, however, to specific procedural challenges: the defence may continue to contest individual measures if it substantiates specific violations of the law. It is not appropriate to predict how the case will proceed while the investigation is ongoing.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).